It is well known that automation equipment of this type can be integrated into a WEB server to be able to exchange data for this automation equipment with a remote WEB client such as a browser connected to a global Internet, Intranet or Extranet type network conform with the TCP/IP standard, hereinafter called the TCP/IP network. These functions are described particularly in documents W09913418, U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,603 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,442. Data related to the automation equipment are then formatted and sent through the WEB server, for example in the form of HTML or XML pages. It is also possible that a WEB server located in automation equipment loads a program, normally called an Applet, into a WEB client, the said program being executed in the WEB client to exchange requests transported by the TCP/IP protocol with the WEB server of the automation equipment.
However, these solutions are particularly suitable for use of a browser (and do not enable the designer of an automation application to control data exchanges on the TCP/IP network). The designer is unable to create a client-server communication on the TCP/IP network directly from the application program.
However, this would be an extremely useful function in some cases, to be able to communicate on a TCP/IP network in order to receive commands or requests from a remote WEB client and to answer to these requests, while controlling the data exchanged on the TCP/IP network. Furthermore, it would be useful for an application program to be able to behave like an active WEB client and to be capable of sending requests and receiving data from a remote WEB server. It would then be possible to set up a communication on the TCP/IP network between the application program of an automation equipment and a WEB server/remote WEB client such as an ERP, for example to exchange production orders and reports.